R-5 Pobeda

Go Back to Rocket Artillery

	Weapon: R-5 Pobeda Type: Rocket Artillery Country of Origin: USSR Year Adopted: 1956 Overall Length (mm): 28000.0 Overall Length (in): 1102.36 Weight (kg): 29100.00 Weight (pounds): 64154.52

The R-5 Pobeda ("Victory") was a Soviet intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) developed in the early 1950s as part of the USSR's efforts to enhance its strategic missile capabilities during the Cold War. Designed by Sergei Korolev's OKB-1 design bureau, the R-5 was an evolution of earlier Soviet missile technology, incorporating improvements in range, accuracy, and payload capacity. It was a single-stage, liquid-fueled missile with a maximum range of approximately 1,200 kilometers, making it capable of striking deep into Western Europe. The missile could be equipped with either a conventional or a nuclear warhead, further increasing its strategic importance in the Soviet arsenal.

The R-5 was first tested successfully in 1953, and production began shortly thereafter. By the mid-1950s, it was deployed with Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces, serving as one of the USSR's first operational nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. While the exact number of R-5 missiles produced remains classified, it is estimated that several hundred units were manufactured before being gradually phased out in favor of more advanced missile systems. The R-5 represented a significant step forward in Soviet missile technology, bridging the gap between early short-range systems and later intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

The notoriety of the R-5 Pobeda comes from its role as one of the first nuclear-capable missiles deployed by the Soviet Union, marking a critical escalation in the Cold War arms race. It demonstrated the USSR's ability to deliver nuclear strikes beyond its immediate borders, putting NATO countries on high alert. Though it was eventually replaced by more advanced missile systems such as the R-12 Dvina, the R-5 laid the groundwork for future Soviet missile developments. Today, the R-5 remains an important historical milestone in the evolution of ballistic missile technology, with surviving examples displayed in military museums.